UPPSC PYQ 1 (2020) — Geography
Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean?
- Florida current
- Canary current
- Agulhas current
- Kurile current
Answer: C. Agulhas current
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On July 14, 2026, two Iranian cruise missiles struck the UAE-flagged oil tankers MT Al Bahiyah and MT Mombasa as they transited the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters. The strikes killed one Indian crew member aboard MT Al Bahiyah and injured nine of the 18 Indian nationals aboard MT Mombasa, two of them seriously. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded within hours, summoning Iran's Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi, Mohammad Javad Hosseini, to lodge a formal protest — one of India's sharpest diplomatic responses yet to the widening Iran-Israel-US confrontation spilling into the Gulf.
The incident places India in a difficult position: it must balance decades of cooperative ties with Iran (including the Chabahar port project) against its deep economic dependence on unimpeded shipping through the Gulf, and the safety of the thousands of Indian seafarers who crew tankers across the world's busiest energy chokepoint.
For aspirants preparing for UPSC, UPPSC, MPSC, and other state PSC exams, this topic is directly relevant for GS Paper 2 (India and its neighbourhood, effect of policies of developed/developing countries on India's interests) and GS Paper 3 (energy security, internal security implications of external state actors) and frequently appears as a source-based current affairs question.
The Strait of Hormuz, at its narrowest about 33 km wide, separates Iran from Oman and connects the oil-rich Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. Roughly a fifth of global seaborne oil and a substantial share of global LNG trade pass through this single chokepoint, making it one of the world's most strategically sensitive waterways.
Tensions in the Gulf have escalated through 2026 as the broader Iran-Israel-US confrontation has intensified, with Iran retaliating against earlier US strikes through missile and drone activity across the region. In the days preceding the July 14 attack, Bahrain had twice sounded missile-alert sirens as Iranian retaliatory action spread across Gulf shipping lanes.
India has maintained a carefully balanced relationship with Iran — cooperating on connectivity projects such as the Chabahar port while also deepening strategic and energy ties with Gulf Arab states, Israel, and the United States. This balancing act is now being tested directly, as Indian seafarers and Indian-bound energy cargo are increasingly caught in the crossfire of a conflict India has no direct stake in but cannot avoid given its heavy reliance on Gulf energy routes.
The Attack
India's Response
Regional Context
India's Stakes
Political and Constitutional Dimensions: Foreign affairs is a Union subject — Entries 10 and 14 of the Union List (List I) in the Seventh Schedule vest Parliament with exclusive competence over "foreign affairs" and "entering into treaties and agreements with foreign countries," while the Union's executive power under Article 73 extends coextensively with this legislative competence. The MEA's response — summoning a diplomat and issuing a formal protest — is an exercise of the Union's executive power, constitutionally vested in the President under Article 53 and exercised on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers under Article 74. Summoning a foreign diplomat to register a demarche is a customary diplomatic practice recognised under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, to which India is a party.
Economic and Financial Dimensions: India's heavy dependence on imported crude and LPG makes Hormuz-linked disruptions an immediate economic risk — through higher shipping-insurance and war-risk premiums, potential crude-price volatility, and pressure on India's current account. The episode strengthens the case for continued diversification of energy sources, expansion of strategic petroleum reserves, and faster investment in domestic alternatives such as biogas and renewables to reduce structural exposure to a single chokepoint.
Social Dimensions: The human cost falls disproportionately on India's large maritime workforce — India supplies a significant share of the world's seafarers. Families of the affected crew now depend on shipping-company compensation, insurance payouts under the Merchant Shipping Act framework, and consular support, highlighting the need for stronger welfare and rapid-response protocols for citizens working in conflict-adjacent waters.
Governance and Administrative Dimensions: The episode tested India's crisis-response machinery — coordination between the MEA, Indian missions in Iran, the UAE and Oman, and the Directorate General of Shipping, which oversees seafarer welfare and liaises with shipping companies on evacuation and compensation matters.
International Perspective: India's response reflects its wider balancing act in West Asia — maintaining ties with Iran while deepening strategic and energy partnerships with Gulf Arab states, Israel, and the United States. The approach echoes India's earlier posture during Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping: firm condemnation of attacks on civilian vessels, without taking sides in the underlying conflict, while pressing for restoration of free navigation through international waterways.
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Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean?
Answer: C. Agulhas current
Without green house effect, the average temperature of earth surface would be
Answer: B. –18°C
1. In Ease of Doing Business Report 2020, India's rank is 63. 2. India ranking for Ease of Doing Business in the year 2019 was 77.
With reference to the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Report, which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
Answer: B. 2 only
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Geography · 2020Which of the following ocean currents is associated with Indian Ocean?
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